Spirit Log: The Crown Royal Family

I’m
pleased to have a chance to try the regular Crown Royal again, as
last time I had a bottle, I hadn’t started writing the blog yet,
and my wealth of experience with whisky was probably more a pittance
of experience. Even more pleasing is that this time I get to try it
alongside the legendary Jim Murray’s 2016 World Whisky of the Year
– the Northern Harvest Rye. Now, I’ve already tried this one
(briefly) also, and it was pretty impressive, so let’s see how they
compare, and how the new king stands up to more rigorous examination.

These
are both very reasonably priced Canadian whiskies – particularly if
you’re visiting Canada and are used to UK type prices. I didn’t
buy them, but from memory, I think over in Canada you’d be looking
at around $25 for the standard, and somewhere around $30-35 for the
NHR. Over here, the standard will be around the same price in pounds,
but the NHR could exceed £50.

The
standard Crown Royal is 40% ABV, while the Northern Harvest has been
beefed up to an enticing 45%. They are presented in quirky crown
shaped bottles and sealed with screw caps.

We
already know how highly Jim Murray rates the NHR, but now that the
rest of the world has had chance to try it, what does everyone else
think?

Reviews
on The Whisky Exchange are overwhelmingly favourable – a lot of 5
star reviews there, a lot. There are a couple of nay sayers, one
calling it “raunchy armpit juice” while others merely call out
the hype. There’s talk of “great whisky… for the price” -
which really strikes me as people getting carried away with the fact
that they like it and it’s affordable.

Meanwhile,
the internet’s journalists and bloggers keep their feet on the
ground and one butt cheek firmly either side of the fence. Not the
best whisky in the world, they say, but a worthy effort.
It doesn’t take expertise and a lifetime of experience to say that.

I
started with a head to head tasting, and was not immediately
impressed. I was mostly recovered from a recent cold, so I was
tempted to attribute any negative impressions to the tail end of
that. The Northern Harvest Rye, nevertheless, was much fuller on the
nose than the standard bottling.

When
I’m struggling to get inside a bottle, I am frequently compelled to
return to it often – leaving aside other bottles I’ve been
delving into and concentrating on the newcomer. So it was here. I
stopped feeling curious about the Talisker Skye, and instead
kept pouring glasses of the two Crown Royals. I’m sorry to say this
continued. I just wasn’t getting the results that I’d come to
expect from the standard, or that I’d first experienced in Canada
with the Northern Harvest Rye, so I ended up endlessly returning to
them, hoping something would be revealed or a part of the puzzle
would click into place.

While
the NHR nicely followed a tea of fish and chips once, I was mostly
getting mixed emotions. A pleasant sweet leather impression was
tempered by the smell of poppers. And, I haven’t mentioned it yet,
but menthol is pervasive throughout – note though, that this isn’t
an impression I’ve read in any other review, anywhere. I
hadn’t detected any of that whilst in Canada, but now, that’s
almost all there is. That just seems to be the way that the wood is
manifesting itself, and while it’s not exactly bad, I’m
just not a fan of menthol and I don’t want it in my whisky – at
least, not so prevalently. Where were the banana and nuts that I’d
tasted? On top of all that, there’s a lot of burn. Normally I like
a bit of burn, but this was not particularly pleasant.

Finally
I did get a slight hint of banana, and it occurred to me that this
was the other side of the minty coin. I’m no expert, but one day,
just peaking out from under the menthol, was a hint of banana – but
not enough to redeem the NHR in my eyes.

All
this makes it hard to imagine what could inspire seasoned
connoisseur like Jim Murray to name this World Whisky of the Year
[all speculation about controversy and marketing aside] – it
certainly isn’t mine. I’ve had some strong contenders this year
already, and the Northern Harvest Rye isn’t even close. In fact, I
found the less complicated, reliable but standard Crown Royal to be
preferable on most occasions.

So,
sorry Canada, you may have the accolade, but I don’t think you
really have the best whisky in the world after all. At least not in
my book.

Definitions

What happens when you zone out after having had a cheeky lunchtime pint.

Alcothusiast:

Not an alcoholic, someone who appreciates booze.

Anxiety, The:

The uneasy feeling that accompanies any noteworthy hangover.

Booze Buffet Mentality:

The propensity people have to go nuts whenever there's a free bar.

Booze Porn:Photos of alcohol.

Bread Chest:Not booze related, but this term describes the indigestion you get from eating too many bread products too quickly. Just putting it out there...

Crawler's Block:The inability to decide where to go next during a pub crawl - often resulting in crawl stagnation and someone saying, "shall we just have another one here?"

Crawl Stagnation:The result of failing to plan a pub crawl sufficiently - lack of a route, theme or over-familiarity with nearby pubs can all be contributing factors.

Excess Induced Alcohol Aversion:An intolerance for a drink caused (usually) by one occasion of overindulgence.

The Family:My whisky collection.

MOMA:

Moment of Maximum Appreciation. Every bottle has one. It's the time you drink it where you enjoy it most.

Old Man Pub:Traditional British pub, renowned for being quiet, cosy and frequented by old men. Much favoured by people who like a nice chat while they drink.Psychological Drinks Cabinet:Collective term relating to the kinds of alcoholic drinks a person has need for.Road Beers:

Cans of beer that you take with you when you go out, to consume on the way.

The 3 Types of Rum:White, gold and dark. Together they form the base of many a great cocktail.

About Me

Neil Cake is interested in all types of booze, but is by no means an authority or expert. Most of the time he's just trying to be funny, but he is learning, and enjoys sharing his adventures and what he learns on the Drink it How You Like it blog.
Thengyuverrymuuuuuch.